Industrial Piercing

You're getting two cartilage piercings in one sitting, so it's firmer than a single helix — most clients rate it 6–7 out of 10. It's two quick, strong pressures one after the other, then over. We use a single-use sterile needle for each pass (a gun can never be used on cartilage), mark both points, and get your approval on the angle before we begin so the bar sits straight.

Plan for 6–12 months, sometimes longer. The industrial is one of the more demanding heals because a single bar connects two wounds — movement on one end transmits to the other, so it needs more patience and a strict hands-off approach than most ear piercings. Cartilage heals from the outside in, so an industrial that looks settled at month three is not finished. We schedule a downsize once swelling drops to keep the bar from putting tension on either hole.

The defining piece is a long straight barbell, typically 14 gauge, in implant-grade titanium (ASTM F-136) — sized long at install to allow for swelling across both holes. Solid 14k/18k gold barbells and decorative ends are available. We fit the bar precisely to the distance and angle between your two piercings so it doesn't lever on the cartilage as it heals.

There's no single flat price, and the honest reason is that an industrial is really two piercings on one bar — so it costs more than a single helix. What you pay comes down to a few things: the two-piercing service itself, the grade and material of the barbell (implant-grade titanium vs. solid gold), and the anatomy assessment needed to confirm your ear can carry a clean, straight bar. As a general guide, professional needle-and-titanium industrials in the Los Angeles market typically run higher than a standard single cartilage piercing because of that double placement and the longer bar. We don't post a number we can't stand behind — every industrial at Apollo is quoted in person once we've checked your anatomy and you've chosen your jewelry, so the price you hear is the price you pay. Book a consultation for an exact quote.

Spray sterile saline twice a day on both ends of the bar, never sleep on that side, keep headphones, hats and hair products off it, and don't twist or rotate the jewelry — the connected bar makes an industrial especially prone to irritation bumps if it's bumped. Full routine on our piercing aftercare guide.

Every piercing at our Santa Monica studio is done with a single-use sterile needle — never a piercing gun, which can't be sterilized and crushes cartilage. We install only implant-grade titanium (ASTM F-136), solid 14k/18k gold, or niobium, placed and checked by a Fakir-certified senior piercer. Your fresh jewelry is sized long for swelling, and a downsize follow-up is built into every piercing so it settles cleanly.